Chapel Hill - Transit Champion

During the 2008 Mayor's Climate Protection Awards Program, Kevin Foy, Mayor of Chapel Hill, accepted the Outstanding Achievement Award on behalf of his city.

Outstanding Achievement Awards were awarded to:

* Large cities: Denver, Honolulu, Houston and New York
* Small cities: Chapel Hill; Columbia, Mo.; Highland Park, Ill.; and Orland Park, Ill.

Chapel Hill became one of North Carolina's very first Cool Cities back in 2006. The community had already shown substantial committment to lowering emissions, as they'd created one of the most successful fare free transit systems in the country and the second largest in the state behind Charlotte's. In order to fund the effort, UNC-Chapel Hill students voted to raise their university fees.

Back in 2001 (before the student movement), the Chapel Hill transit system gave nearly 3 million rides; presently, the transit system gives approximately 6.5 million rides per year. What's more, they now use hybrid buses. For more info, check out the UNC-Chapel Hill sustainability report (2007).